Daily Kennebec journal., 1887-11-12

sam" Good bye, sam" echoed Spies anC
Engel. Parsons said nothing.
Schwab stood in the door of his cell witt
his hands folded behind him, his brow over
hung with matted hair and his head pressed
against the iron bars. The tears streamed
down his cheeks and ran into his black, un-
kempt beard. He was 50 overcome that he
could not speak.
Rev. DR.. Bolton offered the prisoners his
usual services for the last time, but a sarcas-
tic smile lii their faces as they resumed their
tread along the corridor and turned slowly
into the dark east angle disappearing like
ghosts up the steps TO the galllows.
On arriving at the scaffold the ropes were
placed around the necks of the men.
As they stood there waiting for the drop,
Parsons said MAY be allowed to speak
VIII You let me speak Sheriff Matson; Let
the voice of the people be heard" These
were Parsons last words.
The last words of Spies were; There
will come time when our silence will be
more powerful than the voices they are
stranglng TO death now"
Engel shouted "Hurrah for Anarchy"
Fischer said ''Hurrah for Anarchy; this
is the happiest moment of my life"
The drop fell at exactly u.54. Fischer
died hard as did also Spies and Parsons.
All three struggled and kicked fearfully.
The pulses all stopped beating in just thir-
teen and one-half minutes.
They all died of strangulation none of their
necks being broken. Sheriff Matson says
that the bodies will be delivered to the rela-
tives when application is made.
Ii lacked just seven and half minutes
of the hour of noon when single white
Id -
deathly pallor, the face of August Spies,
passed the first post of the gallows. The
crowd ten feet below half rose. involunta-
rlly from their chairs. Spies looked calm
and glanced at the reporters with trace OF
his old time cynical smile He walked firmly
over the drop guided by the grasp of the
deputy, TO the furthest edge of the gallows.
Following close behind came Fischer near
enough to touch Spies shrowd had his hand
not been plnioned under the white muslin
Fschers countenance had peculiar glisten
in strange contrast to the lack of color in
the pinched lineaments of Engel who
came next behind. The once jaun-
ty, viyacious Texan, Parsons, came next, a
withered, old man. The four men were
placed upon the trap, all ghastly pale Spies
hair seemed literally to stand ON end. Par
sons set his teeth firmly together and looked
down calmly upon the crowd beneath. His
face was the face of man of iron. A muir
mur of admiration for his unfinching nerve
went through the spectators.
Engel turned around and said something
inaudible to the deputy, for the condemned
man laughed heartily. Fischer looked AT him
a moment and then he, too, put in a remark.
Spies and Parsons, at either end of the scaf-
told, maintaininga a dignifed and stolid de-
meanor.
,Iailor Fultz approached Spies bya quick
movement, SO quick that it could hardly be
noticed and the rope was around his neck,
and drawn tight
The head of Engel was next covered, then
Fischer and Parsons last. In moment the
drop fell and the last act in the liaymarket
tragedy was ended,
Outside the Jail all was quiet and the po-
lice had no difficulty in maintaining order.
In exactly an hour after the execution took
place the work of taking down the scaifold
was begun and III two hours it was housed
away in the basement of the Jail.